I wanna be a cowboy, baby.

Lets be real.

Have you ever seen a cuter cowboy?

I know I haven't, and I live in Texas for petes sake.

Thanks Aunt Kallie for the boots! Wish I could say he loves them, but this was a rare occasion that he brought them to me to put on him and didn't scream after they were on his feet.

{hence the not-fantastic picture ... had to capture this smile while it lasted!}

Can't wait to show this to your girlfriend someday, Jax.

{Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Go here to enter!}

Progress.

I keep having break-downs night after night about how I'm no where near being ready for this baby to be born. Seriously, I may have been a little crazy when I was pregnant with Jaxon having my bags packed, nursery complete, 700 diapers ready to be peed/pooped on, etc at like 32 weeks. So imagine my panic when I'm 34 weeks pregnant and do not have any of the above completed, and much less actually.

Here's my list of to-do's:

• Sort through Jaxon's old newborn/0-3 month clothes, cry because half of them are fleece and it will be 70+ degrees when this baby comes, and put them away.
• Buy a dresser, to put the above mentioned clothes away.
• Buy short sleeved clothes / light fabric long sleeves {newborn and 0-3 months} to replace the above mentioned fleece clothes that he won't be able to wear. {thanks, texas!}
• Get out the "baby stuff" and put it all away / set it up. {Boppy, baby tub, swing, bouncer, etc.}
• Buy newborn diapers. Buy any diapers. Just buy diapers. {this one seriously put me in a panic a couple weeks ago when I realized I haven't bought a.n.y.}
• Buy a baby book. Easy enough, you would think, but I can't find any. Any.
• Buy month to month stickers, to take pics on each "month birthday"
• Buy a co-sleeper.
• Buy a diaper bag.
• Buy crib bedding. {Jaxon will use his crib bedding on his new toddler bed, once he moves to his toddler bed, that is.}

See, doesn't that list make you want to cry? Okay, maybe that's my hormones. But it does make me cry. Quite frequently actually.

One night Tyler said "just start buying the stuff. What are you waiting for? You keep crying about it but you're not doing anything about it."

Smart man, he is.

So here's the same list, more up to date, now that I've made some progress.

• Sort through Jaxon's old newborn/0-3 month clothes, cry because half of them are fleece and it will be 70+ degrees when this baby comes, and put them away.
• Buy a dresser, to put the above mentioned clothes away.
• Buy short sleeved clothes / light fabric long sleeves {newborn and 0-3 months} to replace the above mentioned fleece clothes that he won't be able to wear. {thanks, texas!}
• Get out the "baby stuff" and put it all away / set it up. {Boppy, baby tub, swing, bouncer, etc.}
• Buy newborn diapers. Buy any diapers. Just buy diapers. {this one seriously put me in a panic a couple weeks ago when I realized I haven't bought a.n.y.}
• Buy a baby book. Easy enough, you would think, but I can't find any. Any. Thanks Nana!
• Buy month to month stickers, to take pics on each "month birthday"
• Buy a co-sleeper.
• Buy a diaper bag.
• Buy crib bedding. {Jaxon will use his crib bedding on his new toddler bed, once he moves to his toddler bed, that is.}

For what it's worth I looked at buying diapers while I was at Sam's the other day, but they don't carry newborn diapers. C'mon Sams, get it together. You're on my nerves.

Okay, I've crossed 5 things off my list. But it's progress, people. One day at a time. And somehow, I'm confident it'll all work out ... somehow.

{Don't forget to enter my giveaway! Go here to enter!}

A giveaway!

My first ever giveaway ... how exciting. ;)

I got a $10 Target gift card in the mail yesterday from our credit card company as part of our rewards program, so I thought instead of keeping it for myself, that I would pass on the kindness to someone else.

Granted, it's only $10... but it's $10 you didn't have before, and who doesn't love a little extra to spend at Target?

You have THREE chances to win ... here's how to enter!

For one entry, tell me your best guess at Baby #2's name, and what you would do if you could buy anything you wanted at Target - for yourself.

Leave me a comment and say, for example: I think you're going to name your baby Harry Butts, and I would buy a cute pair of flats.

For a second entry, become a follower of my blog. (link at right hand side of page, towards the bottom)

Leave me a second comment saying you're now following me!

For a third entry, blog about this post on your own site!

Leave me a third comment saying you blogged about this giveaway!

The second and third entry's are optional, just an extra way to get your name added in the drawing more than once. :)

The winner will be picked randomly using random.org and will be announced Monday, October 4th.

Good luck!! :)

Mini-me.

"When I grow up ...

... I wanna be just like my Daddy."

I can just hear those words coming out of Jaxons mouth someday as he watches every move Tyler makes. He is literally his little shadow, following him around the house, the garage, and even to the bathroom.

When Tyler mows the lawn, it's pretty much the highlight of Jaxon's week. If I make him stay inside while he's mowing, it's the end of the world as we know it. He cries as if someone took his birthday away.

I snapped this picture the other day while Tyler was mowing ... it's not the best picture, but you can see what I mean ... he sits so still, watching so intensely as Tyler passes by us.

Tyler is such an amazing Dad.

I know if I were in Jaxon's shoes, I would want to be just like him when I grow up, too.

I always thank my God for you ...

I Corinthians 1:4

Handy man. Err... lady.

Seriously, how cute are these for my boys room?!

Really stinkin' cute is the correct answer.

However, they're not cute enough to pay $200 for, that's for sure. Try again, Pottery Barn Kids.

I think I'm going to try and D.I.Y. them ... anyone have a suggestion on how to start? I think once I get all the supplies I am totally capable of making these. But what I need to get started is where I'm stuck.

A trip to Hobby Lobby is in my near future.

Just a swingin'.

I took Jax to the park the other day. I love taking him because he runs and runs and runs, but hate when we get home because he cries and cries and cries. That child could live and breathe and sleep the outdoors I think.

Tyler was sad to miss it, but I took some pictures of him swinging and even though most of them are off-centered and/or blurry, it is fun to scroll through them and see the progression ... it's like a comic strip. It's almost as if you're there watching him with me.

Then he decided he wanted to sit on the "big boy" swing ... but didn't want to swing. Just wanted to sit.

Ahh, I just love this little boy.

If you could only hear his big belly laugh through these pics ... it's the best.

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from Him.

Psalm 127:3

Dreams.

One time, just one time, I would like to go to one of those crazy people who translate what your dreams mean.

Let's face it, one of the million weird things about pregnancy is the dreams you have.

Insert dream #1...

Baby #2 comes out looking like my old dog Bailey. {RIP Bailey... sniff sniff} Okay, I always thought she was cute, but c'mon... seriously? I also had this dream when I was pregnant with Jaxon, so maybe we'll get lucky again and he won't come out looking like a chihuahua.

Dream #2...

My teeth get crooked again. This might be a self-conscious thing, from 24 years of bad teeth and the haunting memory of my Dad attempting to be a dentist and pull my teeth out with a pliers ...

Dream #3...

Tyler riding in a car with a girl named Kasey. She calls to tell me he doesn't think we're working out anymore. Okay, maybe another self-conscious thing. Moving on ...

Dream #4...

Jaxon having wings. Enough said.

Dream #5...

No matter what Tyler said to me, I was unable to respond with anything except "YOU SUCK!"

ie: "hey hazel, good morning" - "YOU SUCK!" ... "what do you want for lunch?" - "YOU SUCK!" ... "i love you..?" - "YOU SUCK!"

Not nice, but kinda funny.

I wonder if I was yelling that in my sleep during my dream. Oh, to be a fly on the wall during times like that.

Another time I wanted to be a "fly on the wall" is when my husband announced to me that he has to bend his knees and squat down in the shower in order to rinse out his hair. Our shower head was obviously installed by someone half his height, poor guy.

The thought of that makes me bust a gut. Hilarious. Time for a new shower head.

Denied.

Who knew that my brother has a blog?

I didn't.

So imagine my surprise and delight when I find it and see that I made his blogroll. Right below my sister, yes, but that's alright. Maybe he was putting them in alphabetical order, instead of chronological order. Whatever.

But then, I noticed when you let your mouse hang over the links, there's descriptions.

Here's Kallie's ...

"One hilarious chica" {which she is... check her out}

And here's Premier Studios ...

"Creative thoughts from some of the smartest people I know."

Did you notice there's nothing for me? Nothing. Not "my oldest sister", or a "great sister and friend", or even a "really weird and pointless blogger". Just nothing.

Hater. What a hater.

Countdown.

6 weeks from today.

41 days.

I will be in surgery.

Not sleeping the night before, I'm sure.

Sobbing the entire way to the hospital, I'm positive.

And shortly after 7:30 am, we will meet our second baby boy.

{crap, I'm bawling already!}

October 29 is the big day.

^"6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Phillipians 4:6-7

Home tour.

You may have noticed I added a couple "pages" to my blog ... you can find them on the right-hand side of the page.

As promised, I put up some pictures of our new home ... click on "our house" to see them. You have probably already seen them if you are friends with me on Facebook but just in case you're not, I added them here too.

Enjoy!

Deliciousness on a plate.

Here's a super delicious recipe that I got from my good friend Andrea a while back. It is so yummy. So yummy, in fact, that I couldn't wait to eat dinner when I made it. And couldn't wait for leftovers the next day. I would describe it as a spin-off of a traditional lasagna meal. It's heaven in a casserole, I'm telling ya.

Noodles Riviera

1 lb ground beef

1/2 tsp thyme

1 envelope spaghetti sauce mix

8 oz sour cream

6 oz can tomato paste

3 c. water

8 oz noodles (penne or rotini)

3 oz cream cheese

1/4 c parmesan

1 c mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 350.
{sorry, no pic of this. Figured you're a big girl and could figure this one out on your own!}

2. Brown beef and drain.

{does this picture make anyone else want to vomit? I HATE ground beef when I'm pregnant... yuuuuck}

3. Add thyme, sauce mix, tomato paste, and water. Season with salt & pepper. Simmer for 25 min, stirring occasionally.

{like my big mess I made while doing that? Ha!}

4. While meat simmers, cook noodles al dente and drain.

5. Mix cream cheese, parmesan, sour cream, and 3/4 c mozzarella until smooth.

{Okay, maybe using my KitchenAid mixer to do this step was a bit excessive ... but what can I say, I'll take any excuse to use it over my hand mixer, I love it!}

6. Pour 1/2 cooked noodles into greased baking dish, followed by 1/2 meat mixture, then 1/2 sour cream mixture. Repeat with remaining ingredients and top with leftover mozzarella.

{This was after the first layer was complete, before I did the second layer}

7. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and begins to turn golden brown.

{my mouth is watering ... yummmmm}

If you try it out, let me know!!

ENJOY!!!

Advice from Mom.

Good to know, right?

All about baby.

How crazy is it, that at 31 weeks pregnant I bought my first baby item?

A soft blankey, that's right. I don't care that Jaxon has 700 blankets in his room that are unused and some still with tags... this little guy needs his own blankie. Sure, almost everything else may be hand-me-downs, but not his blanket. Ahhh, so soft. Can't wait to wrap him up in that!

It seems like such a surreal thing to actually know what town I would be delivering this boy in ... remember a month ago we had no idea where we'd be, and now all the little details are coming together, and I'm getting excited. I toured the 2 hospitals in town in the last couple weeks trying to decide between the two... which one would I be having my baby at. Last night I toured the second hospital and know for sure that I'll deliver there. It is still not as great as Olathe Med where I had Jax, but apparently that hospital is just amazing and I won't find one as good here.

The biggest difference between Olathe and this new hospital is how many times I will be moved. At Olathe, I was prepped for my c-section and recovered after surgery for 3 days, all in the same room. It was a glorious thing. Now, at this new place, I will first go to pre-op. Then to my csection. Then to recovery (post-op). Then eventually they'll wheel me back to my post-partum room where I'll spend 2-3 days. The hospital is nice and brand new, has a NICU on site in case we need that, has a big beautiful nursery, etc ... but I just hate the thought of moving so much during my stay. My mom reminded me last night that I'll only be spending an hour or two at each room until I get to the post-partum room, which is true. So ... grin and bear it. That's what I'll do. What other choice do I have?

Otherwise on the pregnancy front, all is well! Besides pretty bad back pain at the end of each day, I feel great and have a lot of energy, even for being so far along and having a toddler to chase. We did decide on a name, but we are not sharing this time around, just for kicks and giggles ... and because it's fun to hear everyone guessing what they think it'll be. My mom is convinced up and down that it's Hayden ... stay tuned... soon you'll find out if she's right or not. :)

This week I need to focus on finding a new OB doctor ... at this point I guess I'm not overly concerned about how friendly he/she is, honestly I'm really just needing a good surgeon. How crazy is it to be finding a new doctor when I'm 31-32 weeks pregnant though?! Those girls last night at the tour that showed up with their pens and paper and were not even in their 2nd tri probably think I'm insane. I look back at my pregnancy with Jaxon and just smile at how 'perfect' everything was and how it all just came together. Had his nursery done by this time and just spent everyday at work browsing baby message boards. This pregnancy is just so so so different, but not necessarily in a bad way. Just different.

We'll close out with a belly pic ... my mom tells me that I'm carrying farther 'out' this time instead of 'across' (aka WIDE! haha) I think she was just trying to make up for the time she called me huge. It's okay, Mom, I still love you. :)

Here I am in all my hugeness glory!

How crazy that this baby boy could be here next month!!?? Depending on if my new doctor does csections at 38 wks, or if he/she does them at 39 wks... I'll have a new baby in my arms in either 7 or 8 very short weeks.

Inhale ... Exhale ... Inhale ... Exhale ...

Hate them. Curtains, that is.

I have had the hardest time picking our curtains for our living room. Seems dumb, right? Like, just go find some that you like and hang them up, Megan. Not that big of a deal.

Except, you're wrong. It is.

We brought the curtains with us from our home in KC, but as you may remember, in our formal living room I had 3 big beautiful windows that were connected, so I did this pretty number:

{sigh ... I miss our house in KC. Those windows were to die for.}

Tried those curtains in our home now {2 seperate large windows}, and this is what it looked like:

{excuse the crappy pic, courtesy of my iPhone}

Okay, barf. Obviously way too bland... especially with the white walls. And with those cheap and terrible looking blinds that we have, {thanks, landlords!}, I really felt like I needed 2 panels on each window to cover them up. Unfortunately because I have 2 windows, I would need 4 panels, and because I bought these curtains on clearance when we bought our house, I knew there was no way I'd be able to find 2 more matching ones.

Blah blah blah. Curtain shopping begins.

Insert Pier One late night shopping trip.

They are a fun green & brown pattern that is... well, fun. I thought it would add some... fun?... to our living room. I thought I liked them and I kept trying to convince myself that I did, but something just wasn't settling right in my stomach. I was talking to my sister about it one day and she made the comparison of a lifetime. I will spare you the details, but needless to say I took these suckers down less than 10 minutes later and was on the hunt for new curtains, again.

Cue Bed Bath and Beyond.

I really liked these in the store. They have a simple flower pattern on them that I thought would add a little something, but it wasn't overbearing like the Pier One pattern. However, when I brought them home, the fabric was too flashy, and they were way too dark. They looked army green once I put them up, which just made the room dark and depressing.

Back to Bed Bath & Beyond I go ...

{all the while my husband shaking his head in disbelief...}

Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to announce that these curtains are still hanging in my living room today.

They look a lot better now that we've painted, but honestly, I'm still not 100% on them, so my eyes are still open looking for other options. They are, hands down, the best ones out of the 4 that were originally chosen, but I still not swooning over them.

{That's right ... if you were reading closely, we did in fact paint our living room and dining room this past weekend. PRAISE THE LORD we did, because looking at these pictures with white walls above pretty much makes me want to puke and hit my head against the wall.

Pictures to come, I promise. }

On my second (or third?) trip to Bed Bath and Beyond, the lady at the counter remembered me from the day before.

"Weren't you just here yesterday?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah... I may or may not be insane. I think I'm losing my mind." I replied

:insert forced laugh here:

"It's just funny because when people buy curtains, I'll either never see them again, or I'll see them multiple times returning and buying new ones before I quit seeing them in the store."

Guess I'm the crazy latter of the two.

19 months.

Jaxon Daniel...

Today you are 19 months old. What are you up to? I think the easier question to ask would be, what are you NOT up to?

You are so active. You are on the GO GO GO all.day.long. It is so much 'harder' being pregnant this time around with a toddler to take care of and chase all day long!

You are one of the most stubborn little guys I've ever met. We are working really hard on developing your vocabulary, because you refuse to speak in English, and will simply shake your head 'no' when Mommy asks you to repeat something after her. I am not sure how to fix that, so I just continue to ask you to repeat things and we read a lot of simple books with big pictures and words.

You love animals. You love cars and trucks. You love the noises both of those things make, but of course refuse to try and make the noise yourself. :) Stubborn, stubborn boy. Your favorite animal is a dog ... you point at them and want to pet every single one.

You are very smart and understand most things that Mommy and Daddy are telling you. You are strong-willed and love to test us to see what you can/can't get away with. One thing you will quickly learn about Mommy is that she is just as strong-willed as you, so good luck. :) The hardest thing about disciplining you is that when you know you're in trouble you smile or laugh or pat my back ... it's hard being upset at such an adorable little boy!

You love to try and feed yourself and Mommy is letting this happen more & more, despite the huge mess that always follows. You eat really well for the most part, getting less & less picky each day ... knock on wood.

You have 12 teeth now and got your top 2 molars in at the same time ... that was not a fun week of teething but we're glad they came in together. I super puffy heart your smiles!

You make the silliest faces. One of the newest is pictured above. Always have us laughing. :)

You are one of my biggest blessings. I consider every day I get to spend with you a privilege. My heart feels like it could beat outside of my chest when I think about how much I love you. When you are napping or asleep, I always want to just sit and watch you sleep, or wake you up so we can play some more. I cherish these days and hope I never forget them.

I love that we are a family again. You love to hold both mine and Daddy's hand at the same time, and it seriously makes me smile from ear to ear when we do. The simple things like eating dinner together and just having Daddy around to play with is so much fun.

Just for kicks and giggles ... here's a pic of you from last August. Can't believe how much you've changed!

{August 2009}

We are so thankful for you, Mr. Man. So so thankful.